Editorial: GOP risks becoming irrelevant

Party must broaden its base

Nov. 10, 2012

Written by

Statesman Journal

Ten years have passed since Oregonians last elected a Republican to statewide office. That should be as concerning to Democrats and independent voters as it is to Republicans.

The Founders weren’t fans of political parties. Now that such political organizations exist, the American public is best-served by having at least two distinct, effective parties. Without that give-and-take in campaigning and policymaking, the political debate risks becoming one-sided. That could be the case in the 2013 Oregon Legislature, because Democratic gains in Tuesday’s election have marginalized Republican lawmakers.

Oregon Republicans have been in a curious position for years. Their statewide party has moved to the right while most Oregonians have remained in the center or moved slightly left. As a consequence, the state party generally has been irrelevant to Republican candidates.

In the 1970s and ’80s, Oregonians regularly elected moderate Republicans to statewide office. Today, Democratic voters substantially outnumber Republicans — 876,520 to 687,245, as of last week’s election. Still, most Oregonians care little about party affiliation when marking their ballots.

To survive ... to better serve Oregonians ... the Oregon Republican Party must become relevant to its candidates and to the state’s voters.

Ideology reigns supreme

Politics is the art of compromise. However, too many Republican leaders have insisted on ideological purity at the expense of candidates who could attract middle-of-the road voters. Such rigidity made it easy for Democrats to mischaracterize Republican candidates this fall as “too extreme” for Oregon.

A potential answer: Open the party primary elections to independent voters, which could result in more of the centrist Republicans — i.e., electable fiscal conservatives — being nominated for office.

GOP looks old, white

If you watched TV Tuesday night, you probably noticed the stark difference between the crowds for Barack Obama’s and Mitt Romney’s election-night speeches. Obama’s supporters were a rainbow of colors and ages; not Romney’s.

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Many of Oregon’s young entrepreneurs and other young families share Republican tenets of fiscal conservatism, patriotism and a strong work ethic. But the party won’t attract them until it broadens its version of the American dream to include theirs.

Nourish the roots

Obama and the Democrats won nationally in large part because they kept their political infrastructure up to date. Contrast that with Oregon, where statewide Republican candidates have run outside the party structure, meaning that a new campaign organization must be built for each election cycle. Too often that has included importing consultants and key staff members who don’t understand Oregon.

Even in an era of billion-dollar TV advertising — with dubious results this year — grassroots supporters matter. So does creating a stable of up-and-coming candidates, enabling the party to field a strong slate at each election instead of leaving some statewide offices blank, as it did for the May primary.

Being a Republican, or a Democrat, isn’t enough to win election in Oregon. Candidates must take clearly defined, well-articulated positions instead of relying on personality or party affiliation.

A healthy Oregon political scene needs at least two competitive parties. If Republicans continue to cede that role, another party will rise to take their place.

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